Last men standing: Who is best placed to claim Cork Premier SHC glory?

John Coleman breaks down the four sides still in the hunt for Cork’s little All-Ireland

Fri, 05 Nov, 2021 - 16:39

John Coleman

SARSFIELDS

Form Guide: Sars form going into the final four is impeccable. They recorded emphatic victories over Carrigtwohill and Na Piarsaigh in Group B of the championship, but it was their performance against Midleton that really made people sit up and take notice. They won by 3-21 to 2-14, and that is as close as anybody has come to them in this championship.

Key man: If Sars are the form team, then Daniel Kearney is the form player going into the weekend. The former Cork star’s lustre is showing no sign of fading as he continues to be one of the top players in the championship. After last year’s experiment at centre-back, he’s back on more familiar ground around the middle of the field. Nominally, he lines out at wing-forward but the truth of the matter is that he could pop up anywhere around the central diamond, foraging, working ferociously, and scoring heavily (he’s amassed 0-12 off play so far). The knock-on effect of his rambling is that it creates space inside for Jack O’Connor and Daniel Hogan. He remains a class act.

Strength: The Riverstown outfit’s major strength is their depth. At the beginning of the year a few veterans of the squad were jettisoned but that loss has been balanced by an influx of youth, particularly from last year’s minor team that reached the county final and the county U21 winning side of 2019. It has given them a nice blend of youth and experience with the likes of Kearney, Craig Leahy, and Alan Kennedy dovetailing nicely with Hogan, Cian Darcy, and Kevin Crowley. Further evidence of Sars’ wealth of talent is the fact that their second string also topped their group in the Intermediate ‘A’ championship. Throw in the fact that Liam Healy isn’t guaranteed a spot on the starting 15 and that Paul Leopold and Cork U20 winner, Colm McCarthy, are coming back from injury and you get an idea of the cavalry available.

Weakness: Hard to say but there is the possibility that their weakness will turn out to be their display of strength in the group stages. They enter their game against Glen Rovers without the benefit of a close, tough championship game. They will get that on Sunday afternoon and though they’ve tried to alleviate the lack of competitiveness with challenge games, there is nothing better than the real thing.

Verdict: They should make the final, at least.

GLEN ROVERS

Form Guide: The Glen’s graph is certainly heading in the right direction. Their response to their opening round loss to Douglas has been excellent. They did what they had to do against Bishopstown before coming through a real test of their mettle against Newtownshandrum to claim a place in the quarter-finals.

In that game, they delivered their performance of the year in beating Imokilly. What made the display all the more impressive was the fact that they played for 40 minutes without Patrick Horgan. It was the type of victory that builds that great immeasurable in sport - momentum.

Key man: What else is there left to say about Patrick Horgan? The rescinding of his red card from the Imokilly game is sure to have steadied nerves across Blackpool this week. The maestro was already after cracking in 1-2 in that game, then there was the 0-8 against Douglas, the 1-10 against Bishopstown, and the remarkable 2-13 in the Newtown game. Such is Horgan’s genius that he would give an average side a puncher’s chance in any encounter, and, obviously, the Glen are far from an average side, having contested five of the last seven finals.

Strength: Their defence, particularly the half-back line of Brian Moylan, Robert Downey, and Eoin Downey. There was a defiance to that trio’s reaction to Horgan’s red card in the Imokilly game that set the tone for the Glen’s resistance. Robert Downey dominated the skies while Eoin’s temperament belied his relative inexperience. Meanwhile, Moylan has been as good a hurler that this championship has produced in the past decade while the emergence of the Downey brothers has eased the retirement of his old friend, Graham Callanan. Throw in the wily experience of Stephen McDonnell behind them and the consistent excellence of Cathal Hickey behind him and you’ve the nucleus of an outstanding defence, the bedrock of any team with ambition.

Weakness: The Glen have plenty of capable forwards, but what can be lacking is a consistency of performance from Horgan’s fellow attackers. In the Imokilly game, Simon Kennefick thrived in the added responsibility while Dean Brosnan’s display was a throwback to his 2015 form. Now they need to do it again.

Verdict: Sunday may be the end of their road in 2021, and yet the nature of their progression to the final four gives them cause for optimism.

BLACKROCK

Form guide: Apart from their opening round loss to Erin’s Own, Blackrock have been a model of stability. There was no hint of crisis in the aftermath of that defeat as they went about their business professionally, recording comfortable victories over Charleville and St Finbarr’s. Their win against Douglas in the quarter-final was a of a similar vintage and it seems that the Rockies have reached the semi-final without having played to the maximum of their capabilities.

Key man: Alan Connolly lit up the 2020 championship and while he hasn’t quite scaled those heights this year — yet — his form has been devastatingly effective. Erin’s Own managed to keep him quiet on the opening Friday night of the championship, by limiting his supply as much as anything else, but since then the 20-year-old has proved himself to be the game breaker, pouncing for five goals in three games. He scored one and made one against Charleville while his brace of goals against the Barr’s and Douglas sucked the life out his southside rivals. Connolly’s form is simmering to a boil at just the right time.

Strength: Last year’s champions’ strength lies in their balance. While Alan Connolly does add a sprinkle of stardust, they aren’t completely reliant on him and, in general, Blackrock are a team in the purest sense. Gavin Connolly is a calming presence between the posts while his cousins, John and Niall Cashman are solid in defence. Daniel Meaney and Stephen Murphy are as good a midfield duo that there is in Cork while up front, the strength of Shane and Mark O’Keeffe compliments the panache of Connolly, Michael O’Halloran, and Robbie Cotter. Throw in the experience of last year and the composure of Fergal Ryan on the line and you have yourself a formidable force.

Weakness: It’s hard to say. Last year, one might have pointed to their full-back line as a potential weak spot, however, the way that Jamie Ryan, Gary Norberg, and Conor O’Brien went about their business against a much-vaunted Douglas attack put paid to that particular theory. Perhaps you could point to the fact that their early slip up cost them the chance of some respite in this most condensed of championships, but realistically, such judgements tend to be made after the event.

Verdict: The Rockies should find themselves in the final come Sunday evening, with every chance of putting back-to-back counties together for the first time since 2002.

MIDLETON

Form guide: The Magpies’ form has been patchy up until now. They got off to the ideal start in the group stages with comfortable victories over Carrigtwohill and Na Piarsaigh that ensured their progression to the knockout stages before they played their old rivals from Sarsfields. The heavy loss that they suffered that day in Páirc Uí Rinn was a setback, but while they answered it well with a tense victory over 14-man Erin’s Own in the quarter-final, pessimists might have filed that win under ‘unconvincing’. However, who hasn’t struggled against Erin’s Own in recent times?

Key man: Conor Lehane is the easy answer here but Sam Quirke’s importance to this Midleton team is growing incrementally. The midfielder was outstanding at midfield when Cork claimed the All-Ireland U20 crown during the summer and Quirke’s ability to contribute both in attack and defence is one of his major attributes. He was excellent against Erin’s Own and if he is able to limit the effectiveness of Daniel Meaney and Stephen Murphy and gain control the middle of the field on Sunday, then Midleton will be in with a serious chance.

Strength: Midleton enter the game against the Rockies as underdogs. However, they have a team laden with match winners. Were Conor Lehane to catch fire in the way that only he can, and were Luke O’Farrell and Cormac Beausang to join him, well then, all bets are off. In Tommy O’Connell they possess one of the most stylish hurlers in the championship while Sam Quirke is an emerging talent. They enter Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday with nothing to lose, but they will need big performances from their big players if they are to progress to the final.

Weakness: For all of their talent, Midleton are still looking for the right way to arrange it. For instance, Tommy O’Connell’s talents seem more suited for a role around midfield or the half-forward line but out of necessity, for the moment, he’s anchoring their defence at centre-back. Cormac Walsh has been one of the best half forwards in Cork for a few years now, and while he’s performing well at wing-back for Midleton, his presence is missed up front. Also, against Erin’s Own Midleton started with three 18-year-olds in Brion Saunderson, Alex Quirke, and Ciarmhac Smyth. All three are more than capable but the Magpies are still searching for the right blend that will take them to the next level.

Verdict: Sunday should be Midleton’s last stop on the 2021 championship train, but having failed to advance from the group last year, this year’s journey has been a fruitful one.